The present invention pertains to the aircraft flight management art and, more particularly, to a flight management computer system which responds to an input time of arrival to produce cost effective trajectory target signals.
While numerous aircraft flight management control systems are known to the prior art, none of these systems is capable of producing optimum trajectory and thrust settings to achieve a desired time of arrival. Presently, a pilot, upon receiving a rescheduled time of arrival, will either alter his thrust but maintain present trajectory or, upon arrival early at a destination, assume a holding position until a landing can be accomplished. Whichever of these options the pilot chooses, it is doubtful that the aircraft trajectory and thrust levels are optimum for the most cost effective aircraft operation.
Overall flight planning is presently performed by on-ground dispatch computers. During flight, however, as time of arrival is rescheduled, the aircraft's onboard flight management system is incapable of computing the optimum trajectory and thrust levels to achieve the desired time of arrival. As a result, aircraft have been flown in less than optimum cost effective conditions, thereby leading to wasted fuel and increased cost of operation.